Cross-Cultural Study of Leadership in Public Relations and Communication Management Results of a survey in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Aug 20, 2015
Cross-Cultural Study of Leadership in Public Relations and Communication Management Results of a survey in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Ansgar Zerfass, Ulrike Röttger
Cross-Cultural Study of Leadership in Public Relations and Communication Management. Results of a survey in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Leipzig, Münster: Universität Leipzig, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 2012
With special thanks to Katharina Simon, B. Sc., for project management, administering the global online survey and statistical analyses. The questionnaire used in this study has been jointly developed by an international research group headed by Bruce Berger, University of Alabama, and Juan Meng, University of Georgia.
The use of the charts and data from this report in own presentations and publications is permitted when quoting the source "© Universität Leipzig / Universität Münster, www.leadership-survey.net” with every figure and reference.
Digital distribution and publication of this report by third parties is prohibited. This document is available at www.slideshare.net/communicationmanagement.
© April 2012 by the authors. All rights reserved.
Content
About this study 03
Methodology and demographics 06
Important issues for leaders in public relations and communication management 11
Preconditions and abilities facilitating leadership in communication 18
Strategies and actions implemented by communication teams 21
Development of future leaders 28
Personal beliefs and perceptions about leadership 35
Leadership in PR related to country, organization, gender, hierarchy and age 42
Authors and partners of the study 53
About this study
4
4
Key facts
Survey among communication professionals and PR managers in corporations, nonprofit organizations
(including governmental, political, educational) and agencies
The study is part of a global research project with quantitative and qualitative methods in 8 cultural regions
and 23 countries: Anglo Countries (United States, United Kingdom), Germanic Europe (Germany, Austria,
Switzerland), Eastern Europe (Russia, Estonia, Latvia), Latin Europe (Spain), Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Mexico),
Confucian Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore), Southern Asia (India), and Middle East
(United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt)
This report includes quantitative results from Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH region) and is based
on a sample of 1,766 completed questionnaires
Partners and sponsors: Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at the University of Alabama, AL;
Heyman Associates, New York, NY; IBM, Armonk, NY; Academic Society for Corporate Management and
Communication, Germany. Distribution partner: Convento, Neuss, Germany.
Focus and research questions
Important issues for leaders in public relations and communication management
Conditions for leadership, leadership abilities and qualities
Strategies and actions implemented by leaders to deal with important issues
Development of future leaders
Personal beliefs and perceptions about leadership
Cross-Cultural Study of Leadership in Public Relations and Communication Management
5
5
Background and rationale
Our world is characterized by rapid and dynamic changes, including globalization, the rise of powerful social
media, newly empowered stakeholders and groups, a 24/7 news cycle and diverse economic, political and
social challenges. In such a dynamic environment, organizations need professional communication leaders
who provide a vision, build and manage professional work teams, foster employees’ commitment, and
contribute to aligning communication to organizational goals.
The Cross-cultural Study of Leadership in Public Relations and Communication Management explores major
challenges that leaders in this field face, strategies implemented to deal with these issues, prerequisites and
characteristics of excellent communication leaders, as well as leaders’ and followers’ personal beliefs and
perceptions about leadership in public relations and communication management.
The terms communication management and public relations mean the same thing in this study. The term
leader is used to refer to an individual who is responsible for organizing and leading a communication group,
unit or entire function to help an organization achieve its objectives.
The findings will help build leadership theory in public relations and communication management, bear
implications for communication practice, and help inform the education and development of future leaders
in the field. Thus, the overall project and the quantitative results for Germany, Austria and Switzerland
presented in this report expand our understanding of communication leadership globally – to truly break
ground in this important area.
6
6
Methodology and demographics
7
7
Methodology
Method and sampling
Online survey from November 28, 2011 – January 3, 2012 (5 weeks)
Questionnaire in German language with 6 sections, based on theory building and previous
empirical research in the United States
Pre-test with 12 communication practitioners
Personal invitation to 21,400 professionals based in Austria, Germany and Switzerland via e-mail,
based on a database provided by Convento, a leading provider of management software
for corporate and financial communications in German speaking countries
Evaluation is based on 1,766 fully completed questionnaires
Statistical analysis
Methods of empirical research, descriptive and analytical analysis (using SPSS)
Results have been statistically agreed by Pearson's chi-square tests (x²) and are classified as
significant (p ≤ 0.05) where appropriate
In this report, significant correlations are marked in the footnotes
8
8
Demographic background of participants
Age
Less than 36 years 19.4%
36 – 45 years 37.3%
46 – 55 years 32.8%
More than 55 years 10.4%
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Gender
Male 52.8%
Female 47.2%
1,402
222
142
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
9
9 Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Highest level of education
Doctoral degree 11.3%
Master's degree (or Magister, Diploma / University) 65.4%
Bachelor's degree (or Diploma / FH) 11.4%
High school degree or equivalent (Abitur, Matura) 8.2%
Other 3.7%
Major area of study
Humanities (history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, speech, etc.) 25.5%
Communication and media studies, journalism 18.9%
Public relations, communication management, strategic communication 8.0%
Social sciences (anthropology, political studies, psychology) 11.0%
Business administration, general business, management, advertising or marketing 20.8%
Mathematics or natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.), computer science 5.3%
Other 10.4%
Educational background of participants
10
10
Organizational background of participants
Size of communication unit
More than 25 professionals 12.3%
16 - 25 professionals 8.3%
5 - 15 professionals 40.2%
Fewer than 5 professionals 39.2%
Type of organization
Publicly held corporation (stock ownership) 19.1%
Private or state-owned company 34.0%
Nonprofit organization, governmental, educational or political organization 23.4%
Communication or public relations agency 20.0%
Self-employed 6.5%
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Type of organization: n = 1,822, because multiple answers were allowed. Throughout the survey, data from different respondents has only been used for evaluation and interpretation when appropriate, i.e. responses from agencies are not taken into account for leadership processes in communication departments , self-employed respondents are only relevant for identifying general issues etc.
Position
Top leader in public relations 48.4%
1 level below highest ranked communication leader
39.2%
2 levels below highest ranked communication leader
9.5%
3 or more levels below highest ranked communication leader
2.9%
11
11
Important issues for leaders in public relations and communication management
12
12
Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow is considered the most important issue by more than one fourth of the PR professionals
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals from Germany, Austria and Switzerland / Q: Please indicate which one of these 10 issues, in your opinion, is the most important issue for your communication leader (or you, if you are the leader).
Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow 27.6%
Managing the digital revolution and rise of social media 19.0%
Dealing with growing demands for transparency of communications and operations 10.7%
Improving the measurement of communication effectiveness to demonstrate value 8.8%
Being prepared to deal effectively with crises that may arise 8.3%
Meeting increasing demands for corporate social responsibility 7.8%
Improving employee engagement and commitment in the workplace 6.6%
Finding, developing and retaining highly talented communication professionals 5.4%
Meeting communication needs in diverse cultures and globalizing markets 4.9%
Improving the image of the public relations/communication management profession 1.0%
13
13
Most important issues differ around the world: Transparency and CSR are more relevant in the DACH region, crises and measurement prevalent in the USA
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals from Austria, Germany and Switzerland; n = 803 PR professionals from the US / Q: Please indicate which one of these 10 issues, in your opinion, is the most important issue for your communication leader (or you, if you are the leader). Significant differences between the countries (p ≤ 0,05).
27.6%
19.0%
10.7%
8.8%
8.3%
7.8%
6.6%
5.4%
4.9%
1.0%
24.7%
14.9%
4.9%
13.6%
16.6%
2.0%
8.1%
6.5%
7.5%
1.4%
Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow
Managing the digital revolution and rise of social media
Dealing with growing demands for transparency of communications and operations
Improving the measurement of communication effectiveness to demonstrate value
Being prepared to deal effectively with crises that may arise
Meeting increasing demands for corporate social responsibility
Improving employee engagement and commitment in the workplace
Finding, developing and retaining highly talented communication professionals
Meeting communication needs in diverse cultures and globalizing markets
Improving the image of the public relations/communication management profession
DACH
USA
14
14
Overall importance of issues for leaders in PR and communication management in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree that each of the following issues is important to your communication leader (or you, if you are the leader) in your organization today. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the issue is important.
83.7%
82.7%
71.9%
70.2%
69.3%
68.2%
68.2%
57.3%
45.8%
32.8%
Managing the digital revolution and rise of social media
Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow
Improving employee engagement and commitment in the workplace
Being prepared to deal effectively with crises that may arise
Dealing with growing demands for transparency of communications and operations
Meeting increasing demands for corporate social responsibility
Improving the measurement of communication effectiveness to demonstrate value
Finding, developing and retaining highly talented communication professionals
Meeting communication needs in diverse cultures and globalizing markets
Improving the image of the public relations/communication management profession
15
15
Leaders in the DACH region and the United States judge the overall importance of strategic issues differently
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR Professionals / n = 1,402 (Germany), 222 (Austria), 142 (Switzerland), 804 (United States) / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree that each of the following issues is important to your communication leader (or you, if you are the leader) in your organization today. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the issue is important. Significant differences between the countries (p ≤ 0,05).
Germany Austria Switzerland USA
Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow 82.7% 81.1% 84.5% 91.0%
Meeting increasing demands for corporate social responsibility 67.5% 74.8% 64.8% 62.8%
Managing the digital revolution and rise of social media 83.7% 84.7% 82.4% 88.2%
Improving the measurement of communication effectiveness to demonstrate value
68.0% 71.6% 64.1% 82.3%
Being prepared to deal effectively with crises that may arise 68.6% 76.1% 76.8% 91.4%
Dealing with growing demands for transparency of communications and operations
68.8% 71.6% 70.4% 74.2%
Meeting communication needs in diverse cultures and globalizing markets
45.0% 48.6% 48.6% 69.0%
Improving the image of the public relations/communication management profession
32.0% 42.8% 24.6% 46.6%
Finding, developing and retaining highly talented communication professionals
57.4% 58.6% 54.2% 78.2%
Improving employee engagement and commitment in the workplace
71.8% 76.6% 64.8% 78.2%
16
16
Overall importance of issues in different types of organizations
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals / n = 338 (public corporation), 601 (private corporation), 414 (nonprofit, governmental etc.), 354 (agencies) / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree that each of the following issues is important to your communication leader (or you, if you are the leader) in your organization today. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the issue is important. No calculation of significances because respondents were allowed to assign themselves to multiple types of organizations.
Publicly held corporation
(stock ownership)
Private or state-owned company
Nonprofit, governmental, educational or political
organization
Communication or public relations
agency
Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow
81.1% 81.7% 84.1% 82.2%
Meeting increasing demands for corporate social responsibility
70.1% 66.6% 65.2% 68.6%
Managing the digital revolution and rise of social media
79.0% 84.0% 81.2% 88.7%
Improving the measurement of communication effectiveness to demonstrate value 68.0% 66.4% 62.6% 74.9%
Being prepared to deal effectively with crises that may arise
75.1% 70.7% 64.3% 68.6%
Dealing with growing demands for transparency of communications and operations 71.0% 67.2% 68.4% 69.8%
Meeting communication needs in diverse cultures and globalizing markets
57.1% 45.1% 29.7% 51.7%
Improving the image of the public relations/communication management profession 32.0% 29.3% 28.5% 37.9%
Finding, developing and retaining highly talented communication professionals
55.9% 51.1% 45.2% 78.0%
Improving employee engagement and commitment in the workplace
71.9% 69.7% 65.9% 78.8%
17
17
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / n = 855 (top leader), 691 (1 level below), 168 (2 levels below), 51 (3 levels below) / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree that each of the following issues is important to your communication leader (or you, if you are the leader) in your organization today. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the issue is important. Significant differences between the groups regarding items 3, 4 and 10 (p ≤ 0,05).
Top-level communication leaders focus on information speed, social media and employee engagement
Top leader 1 level below
top leader 2 levels below
top leader 3 or more levels below top leader
Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow 87.5% 79.1% 74.8% 74.0%
Meeting increasing demands for corporate social responsibility 69.3% 64.4% 72.4% 60.0%
Managing the digital revolution and rise of social media 85.2% 81.8% 82.2% 82.0%
Improving the measurement of communication effectiveness to demonstrate value
68.6% 66.8% 70.6% 52.0%
Being prepared to deal effectively with crises that may arise 71.5% 68.3% 66.9% 70.0%
Dealing with growing demands for transparency of communications and operations
70.9% 67.4% 71.8% 50.0%
Meeting communication needs in diverse cultures and globalizing markets
44.7% 43.2% 50.9% 52.0%
Improving the image of the public relations/communication management profession
32.6% 28.3% 39.9% 32.0%
Finding, developing and retaining highly talented communication professionals
57.8% 55.0% 57.7% 50.0%
Improving employee engagement and commitment in the workplace
75.0% 69.6% 69.3% 52.0%
18
18
Preconditions and abilities facilitating leadership in communication
19
19
Participating in organizational decision making is the most important precondition for PR leaders to deal successfully with major challenges
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals / Q: For this most important issue you just selected, please indicate to what extent you agree that each of the seven following conditions or leadership personal abilities or qualities is important in helping your communication leader deal successfully with this specific issue. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the condition or ability is important.
94.2%
91.2%
89.2%
86.4%
80.0%
75.8%
69.4%
Participating in your organization's strategic decision-making regarding the issue
Possessing communication knowledge to develop appropriate strategies, plans and messages
Providing a compelling vision for how communication can help the organization
Having the ability to build and manage professional work teams to address the issue
Having the ability to develop coalitions in and outside the organization to deal with the issue
Working in an organization that supports two-way communication and shared power
Possessing a strong ethical orientation and set of values to guide actions
Management skills Ethical orientation
Organizational conditions Communication skills
20
20
A strong ethical orientation is especially important to deal with CSR issues and demands for transparency
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals / Q: For this most important issue you just selected, please indicate to what extent you agree that each of the seven following conditions or leadership personal abilities or qualities is important in helping your communication leader deal successfully with this specific issue. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal); mean values.
Possessing communication knowledge to
develop appropriate
strategies, plans and messages
Participating in your
organization's strategic
decision-making regarding the
issue
Possessing a strong ethical
orientation and set of values to guide actions
Having the ability to build and
manage professional work teams to address
the issue
Providing a compelling vision
for how communication
can help the organization
Having the ability to develop
coalitions in and outside the
organization to deal with the
issue
Working in an organization that
supports two-way
communication and shared
power
Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow
Meeting increasing demands for corporate social responsibility
Managing the digital revolution and rise of social media
Improving the measurement of communication effectiveness to demonstrate value
Dealing with growing demands for transparency of communications and operations
Meeting communication needs in diverse cultures and globalizing markets
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
Important issues
Supportive conditions or abilities
21
21
Strategies and actions implemented by communication teams
22
22
Communication departments rely on advanced skills, processes and technologies to handle the rising flow of information
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 368 PR professionals working in communication departments / Q: Continuing with this most important issue you just selected, please indicate to what extent your communication team or unit is implementing each of the five strategies or actions listed below to help your organization deal with this most important issue. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that their team implements the strategy.
Strategies or actions implemented to deal with the speed and volume of information flow
78.3%
68.8%
68.2%
31.3%
18.2%
Developing new skills and/or improving work processes in your unit
Assigning additional work and responsibilities to existing employees in the unit
Using new technologies to collect, analyze and distribute news and information faster
Increasing the use of external consultants or agencies
Hiring additional permanent or part-time employees
23
23
The challenge of social media has stimulated new communication strategies and training programs, but most organizations have no indicators to measure success
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 229 PR professionals working in communication departments / Q: Continuing with this most important issue you just selected, please indicate to what extent your communication team or unit is implementing each of the five strategies or actions listed below to help your organization deal with this most important issue. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that their team implements the strategy.
Strategies or actions implemented to manage the digital revolution and rise of social media
81.2%
70.3%
59.0%
55.5%
39.7%
Revising communication strategies to incorporate greater use of social media
Training team members and/or other employees in social media use and strategies
Hiring employees with specialized digital media skills
Monitoring stakeholder communications on the social web
Creating key performance indicators for measuring social media activities
24
24
While transparency is a big issue, every third communication department does not communicate directly with stakeholders or monitor their concerns
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 156 PR professionals working in communication departments / Q: Continuing with this most important issue you just selected, please indicate to what extent your communication team or unit is implementing each of the five strategies or actions listed below to help your organization deal with this most important issue. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that their team implements the strategy.
Strategies or actions implemented to deal with the growing demands for transparency of communications and operations
78.8%
76.9%
76.9%
66.7%
55.1%
Implementing an overall strategy to increase transparency throughout the organization
Providing more opportunities for two-way communication between employees and leaders
Posting more company information on the Internet and/or Intranet
Communicating directly with external groups to address transparency issues
Monitoring stakeholder communications to identify transparency concerns
25
25
Most communication teams rely on media coverage when trying to demonstrate the value of communications; only every second uses business metrics
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 118 PR professionals working in communication departments / Q: Continuing with this most important issue you just selected, please indicate to what extent your communication team or unit is implementing each of the five strategies or actions listed below to help your organization deal with this most important issue. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that their team implements the strategy.
Strategies or actions implemented to improve the measurement of communication effectiveness to demonstrate value
80.5%
54.2%
49.2%
36.4%
30.5%
Monitoring and analyzing media coverage of the organization and its competitors or clients
Focusing more on nonfinancial performance indicators than financial measures
Using business outcome metrics to measure effectiveness at the performance level
Hiring external experts to provide measurement skills and develop metrics
Attending workshops on measurement to learn and adopt best practices
26
26
Organizational leaders are a key target group for communication teams dealing with the demand for corporate social responsibility
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 103 PR professionals working in communication departments / Q: Continuing with this most important issue you just selected, please indicate to what extent your communication team or unit is implementing each of the five strategies or actions listed below to help your organization deal with this most important issue. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that their team implements the strategy.
Strategies or actions implemented to meet increasing demands for corporate social responsibility
75.7%
68.9%
66.0%
63.1%
45.6%
Convincing organizational leaders of the importance of CSR
Generating public attention for the organization's CSR activities
Interacting directly with publics or groups who make demands for CSR activities
Showcasing CSR achievements and employee accomplishments
Involving more employees in community projects and activities
27
27
Communication departments favor a combination of centralized and decentralized strategies in international communication
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 63 PR professionals working in communication departments / Q: Continuing with this most important issue you just selected, please indicate to what extent your communication team or unit is implementing each of the five strategies or actions listed below to help your organization deal with this most important issue. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that their team implements the strategy.
Strategies or actions implemented to meet communication needs in diverse cultures and globalizing markets
87.3%
74.6%
69.8%
61.9%
36.5%
Implementing a global communication strategy for the organization
Using national experts to guide communication programs in each country of operation
Monitoring and analyzing media coverage and developments in global markets
Hiring more employees with international experience or language abilities
Providing cultural training programs for employees
28
28
Development of future leaders
29
29
Strengthening conflict management, change management and listening skills are most important when developing future communication leaders
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,766 PR professionals / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree with the relative importance of each action below that might be taken to improve the development of future leaders in the field and enhance the communication profession. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the action is important.
78.5%
76.1%
74.1%
69.8%
65.8%
65.2%
57.9%
56.5%
32.6%
31.9%
30.9%
29.6%
Enhance conflict management skills
Strengthen change management skills and capabilities
Improve the listening skills of professionals
Enhance professional skills in coping with work-related stress
Develop better measures to document the value and contributions of public relations
Strengthen the business/economic component of communication education programs
Develop training to enhance the emotional intelligence of PR professionals
Increase cultural understanding and sensitivity
Impose tough penalties on ethical violators
Develop a core global education curriculum
Urge professional associations to work together to develop leaders
Require professional accreditation or licensing
30
30
Several approaches to develop future communication leaders are valued differently in German speaking countries and the USA
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR Professionals / n = 1,402 (Germany), 222 (Austria), 142 (Switzerland), 804 (United States) / Q : Please indicate to what extent you agree with the relative importance of each action below that might be taken to improve the development of future leaders in the field and enhance the communication profession. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the action is important. Significant differences between the countries (p ≤ 0,05).
Germany Austria Switzerland USA
Increase cultural understanding and sensitivity 56.5% 54.5% 59.2% 73.6%
Improve the listening skills of professionals 73.1% 80.2% 73.9% 82.1%
Develop training to enhance the emotional intelligence of PR professionals
57.1% 65.3% 54.2% 63.4%
Urge professional associations to work together to develop leaders 29.5% 41.9% 26.8% 47.3%
Strengthen the business/economic component of communication education programs
64.2% 70.7% 66.2% 77.6%
Enhance conflict management skills 77.3% 89.2% 73.9% 75.5%
Develop better measures to document the value and contributions of public relations
65.5% 70.3% 62.0% 79.7%
Require professional accreditation or licensing 28.6% 39.6% 23.2% 21.6%
Impose tough penalties on ethical violators 30.8% 48.2% 26.1% 59.3%
Develop a core global education curriculum 31.8% 38.3% 23.2% 41.2%
Enhance professional skills in coping with work-related stress 71.5% 68.0% 55.6% 51.5%
Strengthen change management skills and capabilities 76.2% 76.6% 74.6% 83.1%
31
31
The support for different leadership development actions varies between various age groups of communication professionals
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals / n = 343 (< 36 years), 659 (36 - 45 years), 580 (46 - 55 years), 184 (> 56 years) / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree with the relative importance of each action below that might be taken to improve the development of future leaders in the field and enhance the communication profession. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the action is important. Significant differences between the groups regarding items 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 (p ≤ 0,05).
< 36 years 36 - 45 years 46 - 55 years > 55 years
Increase cultural understanding and sensitivity 51.3% 52.2% 60.3% 69.0%
Improve the listening skills of professionals 68.2% 72.5% 76.6% 82.6%
Develop training to enhance the emotional intelligence of PR professionals
57.1% 53.7% 60.2% 66.8%
Urge professional associations to work together to develop leaders 35.6% 28.2% 28.8% 38.0%
Strengthen the business/economic component of communication education programs
74.3% 65.9% 59.7% 63.0%
Enhance conflict management skills 77.0% 75.6% 80.0% 87.5%
Develop better measures to document the value and contributions of public relations
71.4% 66.8% 62.9% 60.9%
Require professional accreditation or licensing 34.4% 28.7% 26.0% 34.8%
Impose tough penalties on ethical violators 30.0% 31.7% 33.4% 38.0%
Develop a core global education curriculum 37.0% 32.6% 28.3% 31.5%
Enhance professional skills in coping with work-related stress 72.3% 69.3% 67.9% 72.8%
Strengthen change management skills and capabilities 72.9% 76.2% 76.4% 81.0%
32
32
Important actions to improve the development of future communication leaders as perceived by top leaders and team members
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organisations or agencies/ n = 771 (top leaders), 884 (followers) / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree with the relative importance of each action below that might be taken to improve the development of future leaders in the field and enhance the communication profession. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Percentage values indicate scale points 5 – 7. Significant differences regarding item 10 (p ≤ 0,05). Top leader: 0 levels between own position and the highest ranked communication leader in the organization; Followers: 1 or more levels between own position and the highest ranked.
Top leader Follower
Increase cultural understanding and sensitivity 56.7% 55.7%
Improve the listening skills of professionals 74.8% 72.1%
Develop training to enhance the emotional intelligence of PR professionals 58.2% 56.2%
Urge professional associations to work together to develop leaders 29.8% 30.8%
Strengthen the business/economic component of communication education programs 67.4% 63.2%
Enhance conflict management skills 80.0% 76.8%
Develop better measures to document the value and contributions of public relations 64.7% 67.0%
Require professional accreditation or licensing 27.5% 30.8%
Impose tough penalties on ethical violators 31.0% 33.6%
Develop a core global education curriculum 28.5% 34.2%
Enhance professional skills in coping with work-related stress 70.0% 69.7%
Strengthen change management skills and capabilities 78.6% 74.5%
33
33
Perceptions on leadership development in communications are quite similar in different types of organizations
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals / n = 338 (public corporation), 601 (private corporation), 414 (nonprofit, governmental etc.), 354 (agencies) / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree with the relative importance of each action below that might be taken to improve the development of future leaders in the field and enhance the communication profession. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who clearly stated that the action is important. No calculation of significances because respondents were allowed to assign themselves to multiple kinds of organizations.
Publicly held corporation
(stock ownership)
Private or state-owned company
Nonprofit, governmental, educational or political
organization
Communication or public relations
agency
Increase cultural understanding and sensitivity 64.8% 54.6% 49.3% 59.3%
Improve the listening skills of professionals 72.8% 72.2% 76.3% 73.7%
Develop training to enhance the emotional intelligence of PR professionals
53.8% 57.2% 57.5% 59.9%
Urge professional associations to work together to develop leaders
25.1% 31.4% 34.1% 28.5%
Strengthen the business/economic component of communication education programs
69.2% 66.4% 57.0% 68.6%
Enhance conflict management skills
75.1% 78.0% 79.0% 80.2%
Develop better measures to document the value and contributions of public relations
70.1% 66.1% 61.4% 68.4%
Require professional accreditation or licensing 30.5% 28.6% 26.6% 33.3%
Impose tough penalties on ethical violators 33.7% 30.9% 31.2% 34.7%
Develop a core global education curriculum 32.0% 32.4% 26.3% 35.0%
Enhance professional skills in coping with work-related stress
67.5% 68.9% 74.4% 69.5%
Strengthen change management skills and capabilities
83.4% 77.5% 72.9% 72.3%
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34
Courage and ability to prioritize and,
if necessary, eliminate projects
Improve consulting skills of communication
professionals; enable them to pass knowledge
on to clients
Slow down processes in order to gain higher
levels of maturity
Development of quality standards for education programs
Training time management and improving work-
life-balance
Think and talk business language
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,656 PR professionals / Q: Please indicate to what extent you agree with the relative importance of each action below that might be taken to improve the development of future leaders in the field and enhance the communication profession. Scale: 1 (A little bit) – 7 (A great deal). Open question, qualitative evaluation; figure shows examples of statements for most relevant topic areas.
Further important actions mentioned by respondents to improve the development of future communication leaders
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35
Personal beliefs and perceptions about leadership
36
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Self perception as a leader: Eight out of ten practitioners surveyed consider themselves to be a communication leader
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,656 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who agree with the statement.
82.1%
5.0%
65.4%
I consider myself to be a leader in communication management
I don't want to be a leader in communication management
I learn more about excellent leadership from role models and/or mentors on the job than from university education or management development
programs
37
37
Gender and leadership: 94 per cent state that men and women can be excellent communication leaders
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,656 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who agree with the statement.
94.1%
13.0%
40.7%
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations
I prefer to work for a male leader on the job
Females have better interpersonal communication skills than males
38
38
Organizational conditions: While 8 out of 10 agree that their CEO values PR, only 56 per cent rate their top communication professional as an excellent leader
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,656 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who agree with the statement.
56.1%
57.1%
20.2%
The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader
My organization encourages and practices two-way communication among members
The CEO or top executive in my organization does not understand the value of public relations
39
39
Professional impacts: Only two out of ten practitioners consider leadership skills more important than communication skills in leading a PR department
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,656 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Bars indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who agree with the statement.
37.6%
21.4%
65.6%
Leadership in communication management is different from leadership in other fields
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public relations unit or department
I am optimistic about the future of the public relations profession in my country
40
40
Self perception as a leader influences how communication professionals view various leadership issues – leaders don’t think leadership in PR is very specific
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,656 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale:1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Graphs indicate mean values. Professionals who perceive themselves as a leader: agreement (scale points 5 – 7) to the statement “I consider myself to be a leader in communication management”; professionals who don’t perceive themselves to be a leader: disagreement (scale points 1 – 3). Significant differences between the groups for items 1 and 4 (p ≤ 0,05).
Professionals who perceive themselves as a leader Professionals who don't perceive themselves as a leader
I learn more about excellent leadership from role models and/or mentors on the job than from university education or management
development programs
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations
Females have better interpersonal communication skills than males
Leadership in communication management is different from leadership in other fields
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public relations unit or department
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
41
41
Excellent top communication managers act as role models for leadership in their organizations
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / n = 929 (consider excellent), 425 (don’t consider excellent) / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Percentage values indicate scale points 5 – 7. Professionals who consider the highest ranking communication professional in their organization to be an excellent leader: agreement (scale points 5 – 7) to the statement “The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader”; professionals who don’t consider the highest ranking communication professional in their organization to be an excellent leader: disagreement (scale points 1 – 3). Significant differences between the groups regarding item 1 (p ≤ 0,05).
Professionals who consider the top communication
professional in their organization to be excellent
Professionals who don't consider the top communication
professional in their organization to be excellent
I learn more about excellent leadership from role models and/or mentors on the job than from university education or management development programs
70.5% 58.6%
Leadership in communication management is different from leadership in other fields
39.4% 35.3%
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public relations unit or department
22.0% 21.2%
42
42
Leadership in PR related to country, organization, gender, hierarchy and age
43
43
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / n = 1,317 (Germany), 203 (Austria), 136 (Switzerland), 725 (USA) / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Graphs indicate mean values. Significant differences between the countries regarding the items 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12 (p ≤ 0,05).
Leadership perceptions in different countries
Germany Austria Switzerland USA
I consider myself to be a leader in communication management
I don't want to be a leader in communication management
I learn more about excellent leadership from role models and/or mentors on the job than from university education or management development programs
The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader
My organization encourages and practices two-way communication among members
The CEO or top executive in my organization does not understand the value in public relations
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations
I prefer to work for a male leader on the job
Females have better interpersonal communication skills than males
Leadership in communication management is different from leadership in other fields
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public relations unit or department
I am optimistic about the future of the public relations profession in my country
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
44
44
An index-based comparison of leadership in communication management in different countries
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,656 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies from Austria, Germany and Switzerland; n = 725 PR professionals from the USA / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Statements marked * were phrased contrarily in the questionnaire and reverse coded for index construction. Indexes have been calculated as the average of the mean values for all statements included.
Agreement to the statements:
I consider myself to be a leader
I want to be a leader *
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public
relations unit or department
Agreement to the statements:
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations
I do not prefer to work for a leader of a specific gender (male) on the job *
I do not agree that a specific gender (female) has better interpersonal communication skills *
Agreement to the statements:
The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader
My organization encourages and practices two-way communication among members
The CEO or top executive in my organization does understand the value in public relations *
5.19
5.42
3.92
5.19
5.53
4.05
5.37
5.61
3.99
5.44 5.53
4.16
Leadership Awareness (Index) Gender Impartiality (Index) Organisational Capacity (Index)
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
USA
45
45
3,5
3,6
3,7
3,8
3,9
4,0
4,1
4,2
4,3
4,4
4,5
4,6
4,7
4,8
4,9
5,0
5,1
5,2
5,3
5,4
5,5
3,5 3,6 3,7 3,8 3,9 4,0 4,1 4,2 4,3 4,4 4,5 4,6 4,7 4,8 4,9 5,0 5,1 5,2 5,3 5,4 5,5
Lead
ersh
ip A
war
enes
s o
f co
mm
un
icat
ion
pro
fess
ion
als
Organizational capacity for excellent leadership in communication management
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
USA
Combining personal awareness and organizational support for leadership in communication: Germany is lagging behind
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,656 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies from Austria, Germany and Switzerland; n = 725 PR professionals from the USA / Figure displays index values for leadership awareness and organizational conditions (scale 1.0 to 7.0). See page 44 for details of the index construction.
46
46
Leadership perceptions in different types of organizations
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / n = 338 (public corporation), 601 (private corporation), 414 (nonprofit, governmental etc.), 354 (agencies) / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who agree with the statement. No calculation of significances because respondents were allowed to assign themselves to multiple kinds of organizations.
Publicly held corporation
(stock ownership)
Private or state-owned
company
Nonprofit, governmental, educational or political
organization
Communication or public
relations agency
I consider myself to be a leader in communication management 77.5% 83.0% 81.4% 85.9%
I don't want to be a leader in communication management 5.9% 5.5% 4.3% 4.5%
I learn more about excellent leadership from role models and/or mentors on the job than from university education or management development programs
72.8% 65.6% 55.8% 69.5%
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations 93.5% 92.8% 94.4% 96.0%
I prefer to work for a male leader on the job 17.8% 15.1% 8.2% 10.7%
Females have better interpersonal communication skills than males
35.8% 40.8% 41.1% 44.1%
The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader
54.1% 57.4% 53.1% 58.5%
My organization encourages and practices two-way communication among members
56.5% 54.2% 44.9% 75.1%
The CEO or top executive in my organization does not understand the value of public relations
21.6% 23.6% 21.5% 11.9%
Leadership in communication management is different from leadership in other fields
37.0% 38.9% 40.3% 32.8%
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public relations unit or department
22.5% 19.8% 21.0% 23.7%
I am optimistic about the future of the public relations profession in my country
70.1% 66.6% 59.9% 68.6%
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47
Index for leadership perceptions in different types of organization
Agreement to the statements:
I consider myself to be a leader
I want to be a leader *
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public
relations unit or department
Agreement to the statements:
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations
I do not prefer to work for a leader of a specific gender (male) on the job *
I do not agree that a specific gender (female) has better interpersonal communication skills *
Agreement to the statements:
The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader
My organization encourages and practices two-way communication among members
The CEO or top executive in my organization does understand the value in public relations *
5.17
5.46
3.94
5.22
5.34
4.01
5.22
5.34
4.01
5.29
5.51
4.01
Leadership Awareness (Index) Gender Impartiality (Index) Organizational Capacity (Index)
Publicly held corporation (stock
ownership)
Private or state-owned company
Nonprofit, governmental, educational
or political organization
Communication or public relations agency
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,707 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies from Austria, Germany and Switzerland / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Statements marked * were phrased contrarily in the questionnaire and reverse coded for index construction. Indexes have been calculated as the average of the mean values for all statements included.
48
48
Professionals working in the governmental sector report about weaker preconditions for leadership in public relations
Leadership Survey 2012 / n = 1,707 PR professionals working in organizations or agencies from Austria, Germany and Switzerland / Figure displays index values for leadership awareness and organizational conditions (scale 1.0 to 7.0). See page 47 for details of the index construction.
3,5
3,6
3,7
3,8
3,9
4,0
4,1
4,2
4,3
4,4
4,5
4,6
4,7
4,8
4,9
5,0
5,1
5,2
5,3
5,4
5,5
3,5 3,6 3,7 3,8 3,9 4,0 4,1 4,2 4,3 4,4 4,5 4,6 4,7 4,8 4,9 5,0 5,1 5,2 5,3 5,4 5,5
Lead
ersh
ip a
war
enes
s o
f co
mm
un
icat
ion
pro
fess
ion
als
Organizational capacity for excellent leadership in communication management
Publicly held corporation (stock ownership)
Private or state-owned company
Nonprofit, governmental, educational or political organization
Communication or public relations agency
49
49
Leadership perceptions and gender: Less female PR practitioners consider themselves to be a leader, and a smaller percentage wants to take this role
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / n = 778 (female), 878 (male) / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who agree with the statement. Significant differences between men and women regarding the items 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 , 10 and 12 (p ≤ 0,05).
Female Male
I consider myself to be a leader in communication management 75.2% 88.2%
I don't want to be a leader in communication management 7.2% 3.1%
I learn more about excellent leadership from role models and/or mentors on the job than from university education or management development programs
64.1% 66.5%
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations 92.0% 96.0%
I prefer to work for a male leader on the job 12.6% 13.4%
Females have better interpersonal communication skills than males 52.6% 30.2%
The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader 52.2% 59.6%
My organization encourages and practices two-way communication among members 51.4% 62.2%
The CEO or top executive in my organization does not understand the value of public relations 22.5% 18.1%
Leadership in communication management is different from leadership in other fields 33.7% 41.0%
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public relations unit or department
20.3% 22.4%
I am optimistic about the future of the public relations profession in my country 62.3% 68.6%
50
50
Female professionals work significantly more often on lower hierarchy levels
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organizations or agencies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland / n = 778 (female), 878 (male) / Significant differences between female and male respondents (p ≤ 0,05).
Female Male
Top leader 38.7% 53.5%
1 level below top leader 46.7% 35.1%
2 levels below top leader 10.6% 9.2%
3 or more levels below top leader 4.0% 2.2%
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Leadership perceptions and hierarchy: Top level communication professionals have a stronger belief in existing two-way communication and CEO’s support
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organisations or agencies/ n = 771 (top leaders), 884 (followers) / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Values indicate the percentage of respondents who have marked scale points 5 – 7, i.e. who agree with the statement. Significant differences between the groups regarding items 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (p ≤ 0,05). Top leader: 0 levels between own position and the highest ranked communication leader in the organization; Followers: 1 or more levels between own position and the highest ranked.
Top leader Follower
I consider myself to be a leader in communication management 97.7% 68.4%
I don't want to be a leader in communication management 2.1% 7.6%
I learn more about excellent leadership from role models and/or mentors on the job than from university education or management development programs
66.3% 64.7%
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations 95.6% 92.9%
I prefer to work for a male leader on the job 10.5% 15.3%
Females have better interpersonal communication skills than males 41.0% 40.5%
The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader 69.1% 44.8%
My organization encourages and practices two-way communication among members 64.1% 51.1%
The CEO or top executive in my organization does not understand the value of public relations 16.5% 23.4%
Leadership in communication management is different from leadership in other fields 37.6% 37.6%
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public relations unit or department
22.2% 20.8%
I am optimistic about the future of the public relations profession in my country 67.1% 64.5%
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52
< 36 years 36 - 45 years 46 - 55 years > 55 years
I consider myself to be a leader in communication management
I don't want to be a leader in communication management
I learn more about excellent leadership from role models and/or mentors on the job than from university education or management development programs
The highest ranking communication professional in my organization is an excellent leader
My organization encourages and practices two-way communication among members
The CEO or top executive in my organization does not understand the value of public relations
Males or females can be equally capable leaders in public relations
I prefer to work for a male leader on the job
Females have better interpersonal communication skills than males
Leadership in communication management is different from leadership in other fields
Leadership skills are more important than communication skills in leading a public relations unit or department
I am optimistic about the future of the public relations profession in my country
Strongly disagree Strongly agree
Leadership Survey 2012 / PR professionals working in organizations or agencies / n = 314 (< 36 years), 619 (36 - 45 years), 542 (46 - 55 years), 155 (> 56 years) / Q: In this section, please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. Scale: 1 (Strongly disagree) – 7 (Strongly agree). Graphs indicate mean values. Significant differences between the groups regarding items 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11 (p ≤ 0,05).
Younger professionals judge top leaders more critically than older age groups
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Authors and partners of the study
54
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Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass, Universität Leipzig
Ansgar Zerfass is a professor of communication management at the University of Leipzig, Germany, executive director of the European Public
Relations Education and Research Association, Brussels, and editor of the International Journal of Strategic Communication, Routledge
Publishers, USA. He has published 28 books and more than 140 journal articles and book chapters on corporate communications and public
relations. Ansgar Zerfass holds management and leadership responsibilities in several organizations and has been member of the management
board of a state-owned company during his previous career in the business world. Since several years, he has been engaged in cross-national
research projects in the field of online communications and social media, measurement and evaluation, communication trends and
competency building for communication managers.
www.communicationmanagement.de | [email protected]
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Röttger, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Ulrike Röttger is a professor for public relations research at the University of Münster, Germany, and managing director of the institute of
communication. She is also member of the executive board and former president of the German Communication Association (DGPuK). Ulrike
Röttger has worked at several universities in Germany and Switzerland during her academic career and published on a broad range of research
topics including public relations theories, public relations consulting, corporate social responsibility, trust and public relations, campaigns,
issues management and internal communication/corporate media. She is author of the first German textbook on public relations and has
edited several seminal volumes contributing to the large body of knowledge of German PR research.
http://egora.uni-muenster.de/ifk | [email protected]
About the authors
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Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations
The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations seeks to advance leadership values and skills in public relations and bridge the gap between
education and practice. Established by the University of Alabama in 2005 and led by a national advisory board of distinguished educators and
practitioners, the Center uses a variety of approaches and activities to support its mission. These include awards and recognition programs,
scholarships, speaker programs, publications, scholarly and professional papers, workshops and symposia, research grants, and the collection
of histories and papers of leaders in the field. The Cross-cultural Study of Leadership in Public Relations and Communication Management
initiated by the Plank Center is supported by Heyman Associates and IBM and conducted by 27 researchers from universities and organizations
across the globe, headed by Prof. Dr. Bruce Berger and Dr. Juan Meng. >> www.plankcenter.ua.edu
Academic Society for Corporate Management and Communication
Anchored in the Association for the Promotion of Science and Humanities in Germany (Stifterverband), the Academic Society is an initiative
by leading research universities and global corporations who have joined forces to shape the future of corporate communications by
establishing a strong platform for the exchange of knowledge between practice and research and by funding leading-edge research in the field.
The Academic Society has initiated a research program on Leadership in Communication Management at the Universities of Leipzig and
Münster, including stipends for Ph.D. researchers and supporting several projects like this study. >> www.akademische-gesellschaft.com
Convento
For almost 20 years, Convento has been a leading service provider for management software in the field of corporate and financial
communications in the German speaking countries. It helps professionals in public and investor relations to establish effective contact and
relationship management systems. Convento has more than 1,500 clients in 300 companies. Services include distribution, automatic processing
of responses, implementation of campaigns, and integration of press clippings. Convento has generously supported this survey in Germany,
Austria and Switzerland by inviting participants using their database. >> www.convento.de
Research partners and sponsors
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